My Son, the Slytherin
by oXXb00kw0rmXXo
Summary: “Hi, Mum. Hi, Dad,” a quiet voice, almost a whisper, said. I whipped around to find Albus, clad in a green sweater though a dark jacket covered most of it , standing behind me. I squeezed him tight, all the worry of the last few months gone.


**This is the first in a oneshot series called Familial Relations. I have spent weeks laboring over this first one, because it sets the stage for the next three. Next is My Dad, the Death Eater. The third will be My Daughter, the Disowned. The last one will be My Mum, the Muggle. I really hope you enjoy this one!**

**As I wrote this, I noticed something. I have a problem with characters named James. I like the characters. I really do. James Potter Sr. was a great character and he was a loyal friend, but I tend to get him on his bad days. i tend to write him when he's being a jerk and a bully. James Potter Jr. couldn't be all that bad, really. I like him, he was fun to write and make up his character. I have a few different versions of him, but all of them involve him picking on Albus because, let's face it, he's an older brother. SO... if you have read Loony Moony you will understand when I say to take heed when reading my James. But this James isn't cruel. I swear, he isn't!**

**A HUGE thanks to enitsirk. If this was Marauder-era, I would promote her fic, You Want To Make a Memory, but since this isn't... I will anyhow!!!!! Heehee! Check it out!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor his point of view. I do not even own a miniwave... in fact, I own nothing except a few books I paid for on my own.**

* * *

_My Son, the Slytherin_

"James! Over here!" I yelled to my son as I spotted his tuft of red hair. He broke out into a grin and ran over, ignoring the shouts of pain that were heard as his trunk rolled over people's feet. "Sorry!" I apologized to them. He ran right into my arms.

"Hi, Dad!" he greeted as he pulled away and turned to his mother. "Hi, Mum. I missed you. I just had the worst four months of school."

"Why? What was so bad?" I questioned as Ginny and Lily scanned the platform for my other son.

"Hi, Mum. Hi, Dad," a quiet voice, almost a whisper, said. I whipped around to find Albus, clad in a green sweater (though a dark jacket covered most of it), standing behind me. I squeezed him tight, all the worry of the last few months gone. I had never worried about James. I knew he was fine at Hogwarts. And I was sure there would be nothing to concern me with Lily. But Albus was a different story. Ginny had asked me months ago if he would be okay, and I had reassured her, saying he would be fine. But once we had been notified of his House, that reassurance had gone right down the drain.

"Hey, Al," I smiled down at him and he just beamed up at me.

"See?" A quiet whisper from beside him alerted my attention. It was Scorpius Malfoy. "He's not mad!"

"Oh, shut up, Scorpius, I know you're scared of what _your_ dad is gonna say!"

"Never said I wasn't."

"Hey, is that him there?" Albus pointed to a vague far off place and Scorpius jumped; his eyes were wide. Albus giggled. "Ha, made you jump."

"Jerk," Scorpius mumbled.

"Hi, Al!" Lily pushed me aside and hugged Albus tight. "I missed you! The house is so quiet!"

Ginny laughed. "She even used her extra allowance money to buy you a Christmas present. She's been doing both of your chores, boys, so you ought to take the load off her back this summer. And you two are shoveling the drive."

"Mum!" James complained, as he did every year. I smirked.

"Don't worry, Dad will be helping you."

My mouth dropped open. "Ginny!"

"Oh, hush. So, Albus, who's your friend?" She forced a smile onto her face. We both knew exactly who he was, of course. He was a replica of his father. I tried to erase the many pictures that were flashing through my head. I gritted my teeth against them.

_I must not think about his stupid Death Eater – ohh, I remember that, that was a good Bat Bogey Hex from Ginny… no, he's not the same person… Man, how did Snape eve__r__ resist slapping me? I fully appreciate the effort now._

"Oh, right. Um, Mum, Dad, this is Scorpius. Scorpius, these are my parents. And my sister. And my brother, but you know James."

"Hello. It's nice to meet you." He extended his hand confidently and another image flashed through my mind. Did he do the same thing to Albus as his father had done to me? I shook his hand kindly, though.

"It's nice to meet you, too. Albus, do you know where Rose is?"

"No. I bet Scorpius does, though." His friend turned a brilliant red. "He's her personal stalker."

"I am not! It's not my fault that we both got lost on the first day!" he hissed. "And she's with her friend, Alicia."

"Are you really gonna ask her out?" I heard Albus whisper to his friend. Scorpius gave a curt nod. I just had to intervene.

"Yeah, err, you might want to make friends with her father first. I got punched when I asked Ginny to marry me. Rose is a totally different story," I advised him. He bit his lip and nodded. A swish of robes from behind alerted me.

Draco Malfoy was standing behind me.

"Scorpius!" he greeted rather coldly. "Come on. We need to leave." He glanced towards me. "Now." His wife, however, pushed me aside and swept him up into a hug. I pulled Albus away, feeling as if we were intruding… and because I wanted to get away.

"Mum, stop," Scorpius choked out, pushing her to arms' length. "Mum, Dad, meet my friend, Albus."

Al smiled tightly. "Hello."

Malfoy observed him with obvious distaste, while his wife did the same with amusement. Their eyes both darted between to two of us. A cruel smile curled at the edges of Malfoy's lips.

"Potter," he greeted curtly. "This is your son? He's a replica."

"I could say the same for your son, Malfoy. What have you been doing the last few years?"

"Redesigning Azkaban. Of course, you would know all about that."

I agreed silently. "They keep me out of there, mostly. The dementors had an advantage – kept the prisoners pretty quiet. Now, it's totally possible for a few rocks to be aimed at my head." He seemed to grin slightly at that possibility. I winced at the image. "And Teddy is absolutely forbidden. Greyback would love to get another bite of a Lupin."

Al tugged on my arm. "Teddy got in?" His eyes lit up.

"Yes. I've been trying to request to be his mentor, but they said that familial relations would hinder my grading. So, he's stuck with… well, actually, I can't remember who he's stuck with."

"Cool. D'you think Teddy will teach me some cool spells? You won't."

"Hey, could he teach me, too?" Scorpius asked Albus excitedly.

"Why would a Slytherin want to learn spells from an _Auror_? And why would Teddy teach a Malfoy?" James muttered nearby.

I glared at him. "James Sirius!" He rolled his eyes. "Be nice!"

"Dad, you don't get it – he's a _Slytherin!_ My brother is a Slytherin!"

"I reckon you'll turn out alright. Sirius's brother was in Slytherin."

"And they're both dead now!"

I sighed. I was going to have to put all three of us through torture to fix this. I gently pushed Albus towards his mother and turned to the Malfoys.

"Pleasure seeing you. Got to get off to solve this conflict. James, Albus, we're visiting my cousin on the way home."

"No!"

"Yes. Wait for me in the car. Anyhow, it was nice meeting you, Scorpius. Erm, Malfoy – "

"You don't have to say something nice to me," he sneered. "After all, I'm just a Slytherin and a Death Eater."

"Yeah. And I'm a Gryffindor and an Auror, not to mention once had a million galleon price on my head. I've got criminal records, too. I don't think anyone in our generation didn't." I shot a glance at my now retreating sons. They were forcefully shoving each other towards the walls and crowds. "And the way my children are going, they will, too. James Sirius! Albus Severus! Stop fighting this instant! I mean it! JAMES!" Albus had just landed on the ground and James foot was approaching his head. I ran and pulled him up by the collar.

"Behave," I hissed. "You're making a scene!"

"So what? Let me at him!" James cried while Albus hid behind my protective arm.

"James, one more word and you're grounded! I mean it, mister!" Ginny yelled from behind. She approached with Lily, wheeling the boys' trunks. My wife glared at them. "Listen to your father. Be good while you visit Dudley. I am going home with Lily, but if I hear one bit of bad news about you two, you will regret ever being born to a Weasley." She turned to me. "Good luck, honey. Be home by dinner. Love you!" She pecked me on the cheek and walked off. All three of us Potter men stood in shock.

"Mum's scary," Albus whispered.

"I actually agree," James commented.

"I thought she was going to hex me or something," I muttered. "Merlin, I think I married the most dangerous woman on earth."

* * *

I rapped on the door loudly, three times. It was flung open and I was met by Dudley. I smiled warmly at him and he returned the gesture.

"Hey, come on in," he welcomed and I led my sons into the warm house. "Megan's out, but the girls are upstairs. And, er, I sort of needed to talk to you." I nodded before sending my children off with a warning glare.

We sat down in the living room. Dudley offered me tea and I sipped gratefully at the warm drink. It was awkward, being in the same room as Dudley. We didn't often meet, only once or twice a year. My cousin fidgeted uncomfortably in the silence, tugging at his shirt. I pulled a bit on my bangs, an old habit I had never quite gotten rid of.

"Still got that scar, huh?" he commented.

"Yes."

"Will it ever go away?" I hesitated before shaking my head.

"Probably not. So… erm… what do you do again?"

"Guidance counselor at the secondary school nearby. And you? You're a Rawrer, right?"

"It's an Auror, actually. Guidance counselor, huh?"

He broke out into a grin. "Oh yeah, it's not the job you'd see me with, right? It's a good job, I like it. Do you like yours?"

"Absolutely. Not only do I have a Ministry level job, but it's not part of the Ministry anymore! I helped revamp the whole system after the war – everyone did. We decided that we needed someone who could keep the Ministry in check without getting fired, so our department was chosen. I still work in that building, it's just not a part of it. Ginny and Hermione worry over Ron and me a bit, but we're fine there."

He nodded, tight lipped. "Hermione… she's not from a Wizard family, is she?"

My brow wrinkled. "No… why?""Erm… you see, my youngest, Melanie, she… she's not… I don't think she's… I don't know how I'll tell Mum and Dad in the summer, when she gets the letter. Or her mother, as a matter of fact." He blushed bright red as my mouth dropped.

"You think she is? That's great! She'll have James and Albus at school to help her, along with any Weasley she might meet. That is, if my two boys don't kill each other by next year." The silence fell again and I scorched my throat with a big gulp.

"Albus… bit of a funny name, isn't it?" Dudley remarked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Not really."

"Oh. Right."

Our breathtaking conversation was thankfully brought to an end by a thump near the stairs.

"Dad!!!" cried Albus's tearful voice. I groaned.

"Quit being such a baby!" James chanted. "Tattletale! Tattletale!"

"Shut up, James! Dad, he hurt me!"

"Yeah, well, I'm not going to be expelled like _him!_" They came racing into the room. Al was developing a bruise on his cheek and I had to stifle a laugh at James.

In neon green letter, the words SLYTHERIN ROCKS was spelled out on his forehead, glowing brightly. James was pointing an accusatory finger at Al.

"Look what he did! He's going to get expelled, right? Right?"

I closed my eyes. "Al, did you use your wand?"

"No! It just… it just happened! He was saying stuff about my friends and it just happened!" He stumbled over to me, tears welling in his eyes. "I don't wanna be expelled!" Melanie and Dani, Dudley's children, rushed into the room and watched with awed expressions. I pulled out my wand and beckoned James over.

"There you go, it's gone," I let him know after tapping his head. "And Al, I doubt you'll be expelled for accidental magic. You didn't try to, did you?"

"You got a warning for it, didn't you? With the cake," Dudley spoke up.

"That was _not_ me," I clarified. "If it had been me, I would have deeply regretted it. Worst summer of my life."

"My worst was every year when you came back."

"Thanks," I replied scathingly.

"I didn't try! I didn't, I didn't!" Al cried.

"I believe you, I do, I do." I sighed. "Now, what did James say?"

"He said that Scorp was just a Death Eater's son and I shouldn't be friends with him because Malfoys are scum!"

James laughed. "You agree, though, right Dad? You don't like Malfoys, right?"

"Er… I do not agree with his father's actions, but it's no reason to be cruel to his son and especially if he's Albus's friend. James, how would you feel if some kids started to say things about you because _I'm_ your father?"

"They already do. I'm supposed to be the great Gryffindor prodigy, and guess what? I am! Al is the disappointment!"

"I am not, you big toerag!" Al had jumped up from the couch and was shouting at James.

"You're a bigger one!"

"Am not!"

"You're going to cry? Baby, baby, stick your head in gravy!"

"You're a bully!"

"You're a bast –"

"Alright! Enough! I'm sick of this fighting!" I shouted and sent an apologetic glance at Dudley. "Get in the car. I'll be right there and we'll settle this at home!"

They trudged off, grumbling.

"What's going on with them?" Dudley asked tentatively.

"Al got Sorted into Slytherin this year, and James isn't too happy about it. Al wasn't either, but he got used to it and is now a very big supporter of his House. And James keeps calling him a traitor, evil, a snake, any insult he can possibly think up. They're ready to kill each other. Anyhow, if you need any help explaining this whole mess to your wife and to your parents, just give me a call. I can help. You know my number."

With a short farewell, I stormed off to the car, slamming the car door behind me. I turned the key and gritting my teeth, took off without a word to my sons in the backseat.

* * *

"Pass the mashed potatoes," Al asked James that night. James completely ignored him. Lily reached over her brothers and struggled for a long moment before plopping the large bowl on Albus's plate. His chicken slid onto his lap, staining his robes and he groaned.

"Lily!" Al scolded loudly. The little girl squeaked.

"Sorry, Al," she whispered and James sent a proud smile her way. Aha… I saw what was going on…

"Stop spreading propaganda to your sister, James," I ordered and Hermione passed Albus a stack of napkins. He wiped at the navy robes absentmindedly, glaring at James with utmost loathing. The dinner table was silent except for the clink of forks and knives.

Teddy sat beside me, his hair flipping colors as rapidly as a Snitch flapped its wings. He tried to break the silence.

"So… erm… James, you got on the Quidditch team, right?"

James lit up. "Yep! Seeker, just like Dad! We are so going to win this year, right, Al? Oh, wait… sorry, you're not a Gryffindor fan."

"I'm going to try out next year," Al spoke up in a surprisingly confident voice. In fact, it oddly reminded me of Malfoy, in the very back of my mind… I shook my head, erasing the thought. No _way_ was my son turning into a Malfoy. They were just friends, right? Surely that Scorpius kid had taught Al some tricks to keeping confident, right? "Scorp said I was amazing at lessons and even the captain told me that if I worked hard, I'd get a top spot one day! The other day, me and Scorpius –"

"Scorpius and I," Hermione cut in quickly.

"Right. Scorpius and I were flying around a few weeks ago and I showed him the Wronski Feint. Told him how I used to watch the Harpies practice it and decided to try one day. Remember? I fell under the bleachers!" Ginny laughed lightly. In her Holyhead Harpy days, she would often let the boys tag along. I would often let them sneak their brooms. We had a thick file of Quidditch accidents for each of the boys at St. Mungo's by the time James was nine.

"Rose, what do you think of Scorpius?" Ron asked his daughter curiously. "Do you two ever hang out?"

Rose examined her fork load of vegetables intently before responding quietly, "He's alright. He gets really weird sometimes, but all boys are like that, right?"

"Rose and Scorpius sitting in a tree," Albus muttered under his breath, receiving a sharp glare from his cousin.

"Why are they sitting in a tree? Did they have a climbing race?" Hugo asked interestedly. "Those are fun!"

"Nope, they were K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Al chanted, a grin spread across his face as Rose turned red to match her name and hair.

"I can't spell that fast! Can you say it slower?"

"Hugo, they were _kissing!_" Lily squealed. "Really, Rose? Is he your boyfriend? I have a boyfriend; I met him at the playground! His name is John."

"We are _not_ going out," Rose hissed. "Al is being stupid."

"As usual," James added and Al shoved his elbow into his brother's side.

"Lily, you do _not_ have a boyfriend," I mumbled protectively and she rolled her eyes.

"Boys, calm down," Ginny ordered softly. "Teddy, speaking of dating, how is Victorie? I haven't heard from her lately."

"Oh, she's fine! Great, in fact! Wonderful! She's doing amazing! We're getting along great! Don't tell Bill that we're getting an apartment when she graduates! She's stupendous! She's –" Teddy's hair was pink and his face was scarlet, but I managed to halt him mid speech.

"Moving in right after graduation? Wow, Ted," I whistled. "When are you proposing?"

"Next year, on Halloween." My family was stunned and thankfully, distracted from Hogwarts drama.

"So, Teddy," James drawled. "I was talking to Victorie the other day, actually and I was wondering – is she a good kisser?" Ted's face went from embarrassed to angry. He knocked over his chair promptly and before I knew it, my son and godson were running in circles around the table.

"Sit down!" Hermione yelled, slightly frazzled. Ron and I sat back in our chairs and shared knowing smiles. Ginny simply shook her head. "Boys, sit down now!"

"It was just a question!" James laughed and he ducked from Teddy's outstretched hand. Teddy stumbled and went tumbling on the ground. "How can you be an Auror if you're such a klutz?"

"Sit down, James," I butted in defensively. "I think you had too much candy on the train. And he'll be a great Auror!" The boys trudged back to their seats and the rest of the meal went without a hitch. Al had figured something out – if he didn't talk, James would leave him alone. But then again, that was usual dinner protocol.

Dinner with the Potters was always sure to be a show.

"Have you talked to him about it?" Ginny asked after the boys went upstairs to bed. Two doors slammed shut, but I didn't really take that into account. Lily sometimes kept her door open anyhow. Ginny was folding laundry as I tried to concentrate on a file I had to read for work. But the scathing comments from James and Albus kept haunting me, as if they were branded in my brain.

"Of course!" I wiped my glasses as I skimmed the criminal's vital information.

_Slytherin_. The word stuck out. This man had been in Slytherin, The word was following me!

"Recently?" Ginny questioned.

"Yes! Now can you let me work?" She nodded silently and went back to flicking her wand at the socks. The house was silent except for occasional creaks of the floorboards for a few moments and I regained my bearings.

_Incriminated for attempting to torture Muggles and Muggle-borns. Escaped when Aurors tried to capture him, and is supposedly extremely dangerous. Several mysterious deaths link back to –_

"When was 'recently,' Harry?" Ginny interrupted me midsentence and I groaned.

"Ginny! I'm working!"

"And so am I. My job right now is to take care of my family and children! Right now, two of my children are unhappy. I'm trying to help at least one of them!" I looked up at her questioningly. That wasn't her job…

"I thought your job was writing for the _Prophet_." It was her time to groan.

"It is, Harry! But I'm a mother, and that means I have two jobs! I can go from work-mode to mother-mode. Can't you do the same with father-mode? Or are you stuck in Auror-land all the time?" I gulped. Ginny was getting angry… Should I take the defensive approach or the slow reassuring one?

"Gin… listen, I love Al and James very much."

"But?" Oh, no. She caught the "but!"

"But… I can't handle something like this."

"That's the thing, though. Harry, they both look up to you so much. And this isn't just sibling rivalry. This is serious. It's what started the war. It's prejudice and unjust hatred! And it's between your two sons! This is your job, to stop this sort of thing. Now, when did you last talk to Albus about this?"

"Before he left for Hogwarts," I admitted. "I meant to-today at the station, but then Malfoy showed up and it all went downhill. You know?"

"His son seems nice. Rose and Albus seem to like him," Ginny said quietly. "Maybe he's changed. He ought to have, if he raised a good kid like that."

"He hasn't changed much," I confirmed quickly. "He almost threatened me today!"

"Uh-huh." Ginny's tone was disbelieving. "Is it possible that you have a little bit of prejudice still in you?" I fidgeted while I thought, before throwing my arms in the air.

"Fine! Yes! I'm a little prejudiced against Slytherins! But just a bit! Don't tell me you aren't either. What about what they used to _do_ to us? To you? Especially you! I wasn't even there for your sixth year! How many times did they torture you?"

"Not too many," Ginny stated loudly. "Remember? I got out of there – quick. And it was never too bad. I kept out of trouble. I'm a Weasley, for heaven's sake! My family's been around for decades. They're not spilling magical blood like _that_, even if we are blood traitors. Now. Onto our next issue - how are you going to solve this prejudice problem?"

"What are you, a therapist?"

"Hush! What are you going to do?"

I sighed. "I don't know! What do you expect me to do? Invite the Malfoys over for dinner or something?"

Ginny's eyes lit up. "Yes! Exactly!"

"I wasn't being serious!" I moaned. "Ginny, we're talking about the guy that was your target practice for Bat-Bogey Hex."

"Yes, it was the perfect practice for what I'm going to do to _you_ soon."

"The guy fake-Moody turned into a ferret! The guy Hermione punched in the face! The guy that set a snake on me in second year! The guy that we spent _weekends_ thinking up ways to get expelled!"

"Alright, Harry, I get it, but that was a while ago. If you don't think you can resist the urge to murder him, just Scorpius. Get to know Al's friend. Let him stay the night and let the boys have fun."

"Ginny, do I have to? If he comes over, his parents will need to bring him and I'm in no mood to talk to him right now. I've talked to my cousin and enemy in the same day, isn't that enough until the end of break?"

"Harry…" Her voice was threatening, so I gave up.

"Fine. I'll tell Al to owl him in the morning!" Ginny smiled and she pushed the folded laundry to the side.

"Good." She stood and I didn't even realize what she was doing. The file was out of my hands, I was on my feet and –

"I love you," I whispered breathlessly as her lips left mine.

"I love you more, you idiotic Gryffindor," she responded before our lips connected and neither of us could talk again.

* * *

"Malfoy," I greeted tersely as I opened the door to see the blond standing there. Scorpius was standing in front of him, a small bag in his hand, filled with clothes.

"Potter," he greeted back. No one said another word and I shifted uneasily.

"Well, come on in." I stepped aside and the two walked stiffly in. Scorpius's eyes were guarded, unsure. "Albus! Come down! Scorpius is here!"

There was a thundering sound from the stairs and Albus nearly pushed me over in the race to see his friend.

"Thank Merlin, you're here! James won't leave me alone!" he cried.

"How can I help?" Scorpius asked. "It's not like you'll let me punch him or anything."

"I'm reconsidering that, you know."

"Albus!" I hissed.

He shrugged. "He was threatening to dangle me by my ankle from the top on his bunk bed before you called me down!" Al hissed right back. I paused and bit my lip.

"Alright, you can give him one good punch. But that's it!"

"Harry, did I just hear that you said that Albus could punch James?" Hermione shrieked from the dining room, where she was looking through law books. Her and Ron were over to give me help and the kids company while Ginny was off at interviews all day.

"Er… no!" I yelled back.

"Mate, you totally just said that," Ron said as he strode over to join me. "Oh. Hello."

"Weasley," Malfoy greeted and just stared at him in mock awe. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just amazed – how ever did you afford those robes?" Ron lunged and I pulled him back.

"Alright, down! Stop! Merlin, Hermione, help me! Your husband!" Hermione ran into the room quickly, confused. Once she caught sight of Malfoy, that look disappeared. She grasped Ron's arm quickly.

"Ron, dining room! Now! You can help me with my work. Albus, how about you show Scorpius your room? Tell James that if he annoys you two, I will make sure your mother skins him alive! Harry, Malfoy… have a nice chat!" The children (and yes, I am including Ron in that) followed her orders grudgingly.

Malfoy and I decided to have a little bit of fun, now that we were alone.

Oh, come on. Get your minds out of the gutter!

We had a staring contest. It wasn't official, of course, but we didn't really do anything except stare. He broke the contact after roughly thirty seconds.

"Aha! I win!" I chanted and he scowled.

"Won what? The fight to prove that Gryffindor is better than Slytherin? If so, yeah, I figured that out a while ago."

"Erm… no. The staring contest. I won. You looked away." He still scowled. "Hey, what is it?"

"My son is in Slytherin," he muttered.

"And? You were in Slytherin, Malfoy. Unless I'm mistaken, you were pretty proud of that fact."

"I'm upset for the same reason you are!" he growled. "You're not the only one who wants a good reputation for their family! Slytherin, Slytherin, Slytherin, that's the Malfoys! I wanted my son to get a better start in life than Slytherin and its lousy reputation."

"I'm not upset that Al is in Slytherin," I said, dumbfounded. Did this guy break into my brain or something? "I don't care what House he's in! I'm proud of him, either way. It's not like I stopped loving him!" Malfoy's head snapped up and his gray eyes pierced me.

"Are you saying I stopped loving my son?" he hissed. I took a step back.

"What? No, I just –"

"I never said that, Potter! That's the trouble with you Gryffindors. You make assumptions. You're the only ones who are right, aren't you? And you'll go any length to prove you're right! I never said that I didn't love my son. I never said that I wasn't proud of him." He shoved me and I stumbled back. "Are you sure you weren't talking about yourself?"

I didn't respond. My mouth was too dry. I gaped at him, though. I opened my mouth several times, about to speak up, but nothing came out. Malfoy smirked.

"That's what I thought. Bloody Gryffindor," Malfoy muttered. "When should I pick up Scorpius?"

"Any time that's good with you," I said hoarsely.

"I'll be here to pick him up around eleven, if that's okay."

"It's great," I whispered. And Malfoy walked out the door. Ron and Hermione came back into the room when they heard the door slam. I was still frozen in place.

"What did he say to you?" Hermione asked worriedly. "What did he do?"

"Are you alright?" Ron added.

"I'm fine," I croaked. "Nothing happened. Really. Don't worry."

"Alright, then," Ron shrugged, but Hermione observed me.

"You're lying to us," she accused.

"No, I'm not."

"I didn't say you had to tell us what happened. I'm just saying that something _did_ happen. Look, I'm going to go finish looking at this case and then the three of us will make dinner, alright? Do you think the kids would like some mushroom ravioli? I got this great recipe and –"

"Hermione," Ron interrupted quickly.

"No mushrooms!" we both chanted simultaneously.

"How about mac n' cheese?" I suggested and Ron's face lit up.

"Can we use the Easy Mac? I want to use the miniwave."

"Microwave, Ron, _microwave_," Hermione corrected and I had to laugh. It was just like old times.

"But… micro and mini… aren't they the same thing? Microwave, miniwave… what's the difference?" Ron stammered and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm going to punish James for threatening Al, okay?" The couple ignored me and kept bickering. "_Okay?_" Still ignored. "Whatever," I mumbled under my breath and bounded up the stairs.

* * *

"Dad, he's horrible in school! His friends… ugh! You won't believe me when I tell you!" James ranted as he paced back and forth in his scarlet room. Al's used to be the same color, but once he got home, he insisted we change it to green. It had been completely redone. That was a quiet day in the Potter household. James had stormed out of the house and hadn't returned for hours. When questioned about his whereabouts, he responded with "around."

"James, we're talking about Albus. Albus Severus Potter. The boy who cried last June because a big dog barked at him. I highly doubt that he's horrible."

"But he is! He… he… he's more prejudiced than me! He hates all Houses other than his precious Slytherin!"

"He hangs out with Rose."

James was beat. He turned his pleading eyes to me. "Dad, please. I hate him. I really do."

"You don't hate your brother," I told him softly. "You're just shocked and a little upset."

"How do you know?"

"I used to hate myself for the same reasons you hate him," I told him softly. It was time to tell this to James. Al had his turn, hadn't he? "The Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. I said no. I wanted to be in Gryffindor. The only friends I had made were bound to be in Gryffindor. But for ages, I wondered if I was really meant for Slytherin. And you know what? I hated that there could be that possibility.

"So, I know that you're disappointed and upset, but I'm sure you don't hate him." James blue eyes reflected my green ones.

"Is that the truth?" he whispered.

"Yep. Every little bit of it."

"I don't really want him gone. At least, not for good," he whispered. "I don't think I do. Do I?"

"You answer that."

The room was tense as James collapsed onto his bed. The creak was louder than it usually was. I heard Lily's shrieks as Hugo apparently stole her dolls, and Al losing badly in a game of wizard chess.

"Scorpius! That was my last pawn!" he moaned. "Queen to B5!"

"Too bad, you killed my bishop!" Scorpius retaliated. "Knight to B5! Sorry, Albus, there goes your queen."

"Arg! Stupid game!"

I grinned. It was oddly similar to the conversations Ron and I would stage during wizard chess. James fought down a smile as well.

"I still don't like his friends," he scowled and I shrugged.

"As long as you're nice…"

"I don't want to be, though." I raised my head and stared my son in the face.

"Get used to it - doing things you don't want to do. With Albus in the house, we'll be doing it a lot more than usual. He won't take listening to Gryffindor banter nonstop, you know. We'll have to swallow our pride every once in a while."

"What about not wanting to clean my room when Mum tells me to?"

"That, too."

"Boys, I want you to go to bed soon, alright?" I poked my head uncertainly into Al's room. The two friends were sitting cross legged on the ground, trading Chocolate Frogs and playing… poker? When had Al learned that?

I knew the answer as soon as I asked myself. Ron.

Albus sent me an annoyed glance.

"But, Dad, it's only ten! And it's not like we're in school!" he whined. I raised my hands in the universal sign of peace and stepped fully into the green cube. If only Voldemort had done that…

"Hey, I'm here on your mother's orders, don't get mad at me!" Scorpius smiled shyly as I grinned broadly. Al's eyes were dull, not playful like they usually were. In fact, they were a little… angry. They had been like this for days, I realized. The day after he got home…. The day Ginny and I had the conversation… the day only two bedroom doors were closed.

Oh, no. He had heard.

Well, let's just say that I had a lot of staring contests with Slytherins that day. Albus and I met eyes and he just gave me this sad, betrayed look.

"You heard us talking, didn't you?" I asked in a low voice. Scorpius averted his gaze quickly and Al turned red.

"Yes! Yes, I heard you talking! To Mum and to Scorpius's dad! So, James was right, wasn't he? You don't like me anymore, because I'm not in Gryffindor? Whatever happened to not caring?" I bit my lip and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Al, no…" I searched for words. "That's not it. It's not. I've just been thinking a lot. You know me, Al. It takes a while to sink in."

"And now you don't love me?"

I kneeled down and rested my hand on his shoulder, much like I had done at King's Cross. "Albus, I will always love you. And I will always be proud of you."

"What if I turned into the next Voldemort? You wouldn't love me then. You wouldn't be proud. You'd kill me."

I nodded for a moment. "If you were Voldemort? Probably. But you're not Voldemort. You've got something that he never had. And it's something you just can't get rid of. You'll get tired of hearing this after a while, believe me, I did and wrecked your namesake's office, but it's true. You have love. It's not going to disappear too easily, either. If Voldemort knew love, he wouldn't have been Voldemort." Al's expression turned to a scowl. "Aw, come on. Don't tell me you don't love your mother, and Lily, and even James, deep, deep, down. I'm hoping you love me, too, but if you don't, I'd appreciate it if you lied."

Albus chuckled there before murmuring, "I don't hate you. I'm mad, but I think I love you anyway. Are you mad at me in that way?"

"No. I'm… perplexed, at the least. I thought you didn't want to be in Slytherin?"

Albus scowled. "It didn't give me a chance to ask for Gryffindor. I wanted to, but the Hat was barely on my head when it yelled Slytherin."

I smiled and plopped myself on Al's bed (green and silver covers). "Ah… the Hat's gotten sneaky, huh? He did that with Scorpius's dad, too. It was no surprise to us, then, but that's only because I was a prejudiced little brat who had already gotten into a fight with him on the train." Scorpius's jaw dropped open. "Anyhow, I suppose it didn't want to put up with another arguing Potter so it got the job done nice and quick."

"You got into a fight with my dad on the train?"

"Eh, not really. Me and Ron told him to get out of the compartment, that's all. He was insulting my friends, so I told him to leave. I did pretty much the same with Hermione, only that was because she was annoying." The boys nodded, listening intently. I looked from one small face to another and grinned once more. "Alright, then. That's done, now time for bed. Change, brush your teeth, you know the drill!" I got up to leave, and was halfway out the door when –

"Hey, Dad, you should get ready for bed, too. Change, brush your teeth, talk to Mum, snog her for a bit… you know the drill!"

"Go to sleep, Albus."

I closed the door behind me and went off to do exactly as he had suggested.

* * *

"Bye, Al! Bye, James! Write to us, okay?" Ginny cried as the boys raced off to the train. They had been getting along much better after Scorpius left and I had found no tension at the thought of my son being in Slytherin. "They'll be okay, right?" my wife asked me uncertainly, much like she had done at the beginning of the year. Cold mist no longer filled the station. It was warm and friendly. Yet, I couldn't quite see through the crowd. I mixed people up, and the figures blurred as they moved. Nothing could be for sure.

"I think so," I said to Ginny as I caught a glance of Scorpius being swept up into a warm hug by his father before running off to greet Al. "They should be, shouldn't they? It's all fixed."

Rose was talking to Al and Scorpius now, her cheeks a faint pink. She tucked her bushy red hair behind her ear as she laughed at something that Scorpius had said. I had to admit that he looked rather pleased with himself. James hung out of a nearby window and began taunting the two children playfully, before three wands were turned on him. Ron was standing stiffly, watching them, as Hermione was trying to force him to relax.

"Yep. Our sons, rivals even before Sorted!" Ginny laughed quietly and I clasped her hand. "Our sons, the Gryffindor and Slytherin! What an odd family we are, aren't we?"

"Yep." But it didn't matter that Albus was a Slytherin. All that mattered were that he was my son. My son, the Slytherin.

* * *

**AN: I hope you enjoyed that! I'm working on My Dad, the Death Eater next. The POV for the fics will be varying between the child and the parent. For example, this was from the parent's point of view. next will be from the child's and it's a bit harder because I_ know_ all the information and I know why the parents are acting a certain way, but the child isn't privy to all this information. My Daughter, the Disowned is the adult (that'll be hard... I'm trying to think it up NOW! I want it to be in this POV that I've never done before... I've never really even seen it. Anybody know a good Ron POV fic?), and My Mum, the Muggle is the child once more (this will be even harder because it's mostly OCs!).**


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